Thai in Montgomery County

[hm212]

My girlfriends birthday is this weekend and she wants to go for Thai. I have never had Thai before.

Where would our best bet be? Would we need reservations? Price range??

I know this sounds like an ask Tom question, but input is appreciated.

Does it have to be in Montgomery County?

Does not have to be but preferred

Thanks.

[DanielK]

My favorite Thai in Monkey Cty. is Ruan Thai in Wheaton. Just off of University about two blocks East of Georgia.

Warning - It ain't much on ambience.

I agree with JPW on Ruan Thai in Wheaton. Definitely a hole in the wall with great food.

In Rockville, I like Amina Thai or Benjarong. In Bethesda, Sweet Basil and Sala Thai are good, but not as good as the others named. I hear that Thai Farm in Gaithersburg is good, but haven't been there.

Avoid Tara Thai.

[Heather]

Is Dusit still worthy of consideration? It's a little better in the ambiance department.

[JPW]

Last few times at Benjarong were very disappointing. I think that Heather would agree.

I used to like Thai Farm a lot until I had the absolute worst larb ever there. And in my book, if a Thai place screws up larb it's done.

[dinwiddie]

For the best food, hands down Ruan Thai in Wheaton (you have to try the Watercress Larb and the eggplant appetizer is excellent) but it is a hole in the wall with no ambiance at all. It is on Amherst just off of University, about two blocks from GA Ave.

Amina Thai in Rockville would be my second choice. But be warned that there is no alcohol. Much prettier dining room and nice folks. I like the curry and the whole fish. It is on Nicholson Lane behind White Flint.

I hae been quite disappointed in Benjarong the last two times I've been there but it has been a while.

[DonRocks]

The following posts were split into separate threads:

Ruan Thai (JPW)

Amina Thai (D-eat)

Benjarong (Heather)

[DanielK]

I reply here, only because it's not worthy of it's own thread.

Notice several posts up where I mention "avoid Tara Thai."

Tonight my wife and I had just purchased tickets for a movie at the Regal in Rockville. Instinctually heading towards Giuseppi's, behind me I hear "but I really want Thai food."

I slow, not believing I just heard what I think I just heard. I hesitantly reply, "Honey, if you really want Thai, I think we have time to drive up to Benjarong". Not that Benjarong is great, but it's better than Thai Farm or Amina Thai, and we certainly won't make it to Wheaton and back for Ruan Thai in the hour before the film starts.

"No, it's too close to movie time, and we're already parked. Let's just go to Tara Thai."

"But we hate Tara Thai." That was what I thought I said. Apparently what I actually said was "Yes, dear."

---------

Tom Ka Gai soup was all sugar, no balance. A huge portion, mostly oily broth, with some veggies and dry strips of chicken.

The Num Tok salad sauce was a good blend of sweet, tangy, and spicy, but the beef was gray and dry. Left the beef and ate the salad. Note to self: consuming all of the onions in this dish without a pack of Altoids on hand guarantees that the jacket chair in the movie will be between you and your wife, rather than on the other side.

Golden Triangles were perfectly fried, but devoid of any taste whatsoever. The sauce was all sweet, no other notes.

A daily special of "Shrimp with Black Pepper and Spice" (labeled 3 out of 4 on the heat scale) was a dozen tasteless shrimp, no noticeable black pepper, and far more sweet than spicy.

"Hot Tea" is not asian tea, but hot water and a Lipton tea bag.

All of the food came at the same time, and then we didn't see our waitress again until after we had been sitting for 15 minutes with dirty plates in front of us.

Thankfully it only set me back $30 plus tax and tip, and I was able to save $9 on my movie tickets.

---------------------

Next time, that inner voice of <avoid tara thai ... avoid tara thai ... avoid tara thai> will hopefully be louder.

[dcs]

I used to like Thai Farm a lot until I had the absolute worst larb ever there. And in my book, if a Thai place screws up larb it's done.

I had a fairly well executed "Thai Farm Duck" for lunch at Thai Farm today. As described by the menu: stir fried crispy duck with chili pepper, garlic, and basil. The duck was quite tasty and maintained its "crispyness" throughout the meal despite the sauce. It had a good level of heat that was not overpowering and the spices were well-balanced. The plate was garnished with a somewhat sad looking piece of lettuce and some shredded carrots that they would probably be better off doing without.

The location of this restaurant, however, is in one of the most godforsaken stretches of suburban sprawl/blight that I have ever seen. There is little to no foot traffic in the area. There are a number of relatively new office buildings nearby that appear to have no tenants. Any trees that may have been on the old King Farm have long since been cut down. A more soulless environment I cannot imagine. If I were scouting a location to film a scene depicting a post-neutron bomb apocalypse, this place would be my number one choice.

[Toby]

I haven't been yet but Todd Kliman had good things to say about Pana Thai in Derwood:

http://www.washingtonian.com/chats/restaurants/9362.html

Toby